What to give God this Christmas

The difference between something good and something great is the attention to detail—Chuck Swindoll.

King Solomon was given to details. (1 Kings 6:38)

Unsurprisingly, after his coronation, when Hiriam, King of Tyre, reached out to him, he knew he wanted to maintain the peaceful relationship he had with his father.

While Hiriam provided him with pine and cedar logs and skilled artisans for the construction of the temple, Solomon supplied his household with olive oil and wheat. (1 Kings 5:1-13)

Hiriam honoured the diplomatic relationship he had with David.

As OUR GIFTS warm the hearts of men, so they touch the heart of God.

Solomon offered a sacrifice of twenty-two thousand bulls and one hundred and twenty thousand sheep. (2 Chronicles 7:5).

That very night, God appeared to Solomon.

He told him that he had heard his prayer and chosen the place for himself as a temple for sacrifices. (2 Chronicles 7:13)

WHEN you give God his rightful place, he puts his name on you, and when your gift touches his heart, he establishes you.

Simeon and Anna’s gift of trust touched God’s heart, and he established them. They did not see death till they saw the Messiah. (Luke 2:25-38)

AFTER Jesus was born, some wise men from the east came to seek him.

They went to Herod’s palace because Jesus was royalty, thinking he would be there, but he wasn't.

Herod told them secretly to find him, and afterwards let him know that he might go and worship him.

So, the star that the magi had seen in the east went on before them, until it came to rest over the place where the Child was.

When they saw the star, they rejoiced greatly.

And when they entered the house, they saw the child and Mary, and fell to their knees and worshipped him.

THE MAGI opened their treasures and gave him a gift of gold, frankincense and myrrh. (Matthew 2:1-12)

Gold was a highly valued precious metal in Jesus’ day. It was a symbol of royalty.

The magi knew that Jesus belonged to the royal court of heaven, so they brought him a fitting gift—a symbol of incorruptible beauty and a testament to a coming king.

They gave him frakinsense, which was extracted from Boswellia trees.

Incisions are made on the bark of the tree, which causes a milky sap to bleed out and harden into aromatic tears, which are harvested. The oil is extracted from these.

Frakinsense was used in religious worship, symbolizing the priestly deity, Christ.

The magi gave him myrrh, which was used in perfumes and as an embalming oil. It was also used to dull pain.

No wonder, while he was on the cross, they gave him a drink that contained myrrh, but he refused it. He did not want to kill the pain he suffered on the cross. (Mark 15:23)

HOW will someone give such a gift to a newborn?

The magi walked the prophetic. They acted like people who knew that Jesus was born to die. They gave him gifts that pointed to why he came.

WHAT can you give God this season?

You can do a similar thing to what the Magi did.

They recognized his kingship, his worship and his lordship.

Your worship will only be complete when you accept him as Lord and Saviour.

You cannot say you believe Him without confessing Him

With the heart, you believe in righteousness. With your mouth, you confess unto salvation. (Romans 10:10)

As you confess Him as Lord, you affirm his coming.

Have a Merry Christmas!